I beat it. Now I need to start over.

I beat cancer. For the past 15 months I've been dealing with cancer of the bladder. It was caught early and with very aggressive treatment of all types, as of yesterday there was no detectable cancer found. I'm still on some meds for the forseeable future.

I want to get back into shape again. The drugs, treatment, and such took it's toll on my fitness.

Has anyone dealt with this? If so, how'd you get started back in the gym. I've begun walking regularly and some occasional jogging.

that is AWESOME!!! congratulations! i'm sure it was tough, but you're right about not being completely through the woods yet. you still have meds/treatment to take, and many of these drugs have heavy side effects.

i'd talk to your doctor about what you want to achieve with getting back to the gym. take it slow. you have your whole life ahead of you!!!

for me, fitness has a great deal to do with visualisation. thinking about what you want to achieve. collecting photos about your ideal body type (within reason - everyone is made differently!) and setting little goals towards that. i have a folder on my computer desk top where i collect pics of bods which i admire and would like to emulate (not porn!). it helps you picture in your mind's eye, what you want to achieve with your own fitness. it also helps you describe these goals to others who can help you design a fitness plan (e.g. a doctor or personal trainer, or a gym buddy, etc).

midwestcommuter saidI beat cancer. For the past 15 months I've been dealing with cancer of the bladder. It was caught early and with very aggressive treatment of all types, as of yesterday there was detectable cancer found. I'm still on some meds for the forseeable future.

I want to get back into shape again. The drugs, treatment, and such took it's toll on my fitness.

Has anyone dealt with this? If so, how'd you get started back in the gym. I've begun walking regularly and some occasional jogging.

Any feedback or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks!

That's so great! The only experience I've had with it is indirect; my grandma passed away from stomach cancer. It devastated me.

Just be patient, hit the gym, eat right and you'll be fit as f*ck in no time!

That is great news Many congrats and healthy days ahead. I was a teenager when I had my big episode and a small scare about 5 years ago. The later one put a huge dent in my fitness level and I'm still crawling out of the hole.

SC69 is right on: first please make sure that your cardiovascular system has not been compromised in treatment. Work within your comfort level to establish and baseline and then work on setting and meeting goals. In my case, be prepared for some ugly reality: there are certain metrics that I will never, ever obtain again. Stay positive by looking at your program from the Big Picture and try not to get lost on micro-factors (easier said than done).

midwestcommuter saidI beat cancer. For the past 15 months I've been dealing with cancer of the bladder. It was caught early and with very aggressive treatment of all types, as of yesterday there was detectable cancer found. I'm still on some meds for the forseeable future.

I want to get back into shape again. The drugs, treatment, and such took it's toll on my fitness.

Has anyone dealt with this? If so, how'd you get started back in the gym. I've begun walking regularly and some occasional jogging.

Any feedback or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Makes me happy man congrats : ) I'd imagine its best to start slow as your body needs to recoup a little from your treatments. Congrats again man can't imagine how awesome that must feel

midwestcommuter saidI beat cancer. For the past 15 months I've been dealing with cancer of the bladder. It was caught early and with very aggressive treatment of all types, as of yesterday there was detectable cancer found. I'm still on some meds for the forseeable future.

First congrats. But did you wish to say ..."there WAS detectable cancer found" or "...there was NO detectable cancer found"?

I don't know what your treatment was, but I know mine made me very weak, a profound loss of stamina & strength, quickly exhausted with the slightest exertion. The clinical treatment went from August, 2011 to February, 2012, and today I'm still recovering my previous strength. But there seemed to be a turning point last month, when things started to really improve more rapidly. That's when I returned to biking, but not going beyond 30-mile rides yet.

I didn't try to fight it, and the doctor's agreed. I just took it easy, didn't push myself, let my body fight the things that were being done to it, and their aftermath. It reminded me of when I had pneumonia when I was 37, undiagnosed for a month (thank you, US Army), leaving me the proverbial "weak as a kitten" and taking me 6 months to get my strength back. So a long recovery can be normal, listen to your doctors and don't push the pace. You'll do better in the long run.

And continued good progress! I'm currently showing no signs of cancer at all, but as you must know 5 years free is the bar to clear for most cancers. And so my oncologist tells me I'm still technically "under treatment." Still, at this stage for both of us a finding of "undetectable" is as good as it gets.

First off, great double entendre thread title, sure to attract fellow cancer survivors who'd get it plus the rest of us degenerates! I speak with some authority being a bit of both. Having said that, despite our similarities what with my being about the same age and having gone through like treatments, the only advice I can give is to work within the parameters of your treatment aftermath because everyone's different. While I'll probably never be doing Insanity, bootcamp and PD90X type workouts and you might, I owned up to, recognized and worked within my limitations, lost 80lbs and achieved results far in excess of any I'd ever achieved before and I still seem to be making slow but steady and seemingly unstoppable gains. You don't have to be a hero and overtax yourself to improve greatly.

Though your situation may be different, to inspire you here's how I work through preexisting back and knee issues and residual fatigue, balance, neuropathy, photosensitivity, fragility and prostate issues from chemo, antibody and radiation therapy: